Search efforts lead to recovery of missing car with dog inside
PORTLAND, Ore. -- A Portland pet owner who needed help finding her car because her dog was locked inside can rest a little easier now.
Searchers had been looking for the car of Yvonne Simmons, who couldn't recall where she had parked her car with her Golden Retriever, named Charlito, locked inside of it. However, searchers found the dog alive Saturday.
Simmons said her memory problems have left her unable to remember where she parked. She thought she parked her black Honda Accord in the Safeway parking lot Thursday on Northeast Broadway. However, friends said Safeway officials checked the store's surveillance video and it showed her walking into the store from a side entrance. Searchers eventually found the car with the dog inside about three blocks away from the Safeway.
Simmons' memory loss is severe and she does not have any photos of the dog, and she was worried it hasn't had any food or water in more than 36 hours.
Simmons said she remembered taking her dog to Irving Park, which is within walking distance of that Safeway, on Thursday morning. Friends and neighbors had been helping Simmons search the area since Thursday.
What if it had been summer? The dog would have died! It is sad that she has this problem and I agree that she should maybe no longer drive. For both their safety.
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She shouldnt be driving or owning a dog.
The issue getting aging drivers off the road isn't easy. As I understand the law, the person's doctor needs to contact DMV in writing and request the person to be re-tested. There really isn't any one else that can do any thing about it. It is sad there are so many elders with no family to step in. Losing one's freedom to drive is a very hard blow to take. It is scary to see so many of them on the roads. Some are so old with bad eye sight, the shakes from parkinson's, walk (wobble) using a cane, need a hand to step up on to the curb and yet they see themselves as fit to drive....and then there are the one's that are a bit scared themselves, so they do 20 in a 55........There many advantages for seniors, they are offered AARP, discount days at thrift stores, free coffee refills, discounts on travel....so how about a Free DMVÂ mandatory road test?Â
 @Tyler Van Pelt While I agree with you to a point, do you really also want DMV people to make medical decisions? I don't.
The dog looks freaked out in it's eyes. The collar needs to go. Those collars should be outlawed anyway. The woman needs help & seems legally like a Person In Need of Supervision or even if not legally, then on a practical basis. Her and the dog need supervision.
maybe she should stop driving if her memory causes her to not remember where she parked her car....
Why is that poor dog wearing that horrible collar??? This woman nees to get rid of the car, and hopefully have someone check in on her and her dog now and again. Her memory was bad enough that she couldn't remember where she parked, yet she knew her dog was inside the car? Horrible for her and Charlito :(
OK let me get this right this driver has memory problems but she can drive. I have a seizure and I am taken off the road because I am more dangers than a drunk driver or a diver who has memory problems. Oregon is a screwed up state.
She needs to get rid of the prong collar and instead us a face halter. They work great without cutting or anything. I have a mastiff and it totally (almost) stopped him from jerking me down. A smaller dog they should work great on. And I agree it is time to sell the car.
Note to self - dementia is not good for driving. I had a woman once stop and ask me for directions...she was looking for a clinic 2 miles form her house...the problem was, she had driven almost 50 miles, somehow safely crossing the Twin Cities in MN. Â Needless to say I urged her to park and we called a relative. Â Every yer we read about someone who gets lost while driving with dementia and is found dead. Â This time it ended well, but it is high time she turn in the keys for her sake and her pet's sake let alone our safety.
Well, I'm glad they found the car and dog... but I'm sorry, if you have that bad of memory issues, you should NOT be driving. Period.
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And for the love of (insert whatever you believe here), take that prong choke collar off that dog... if you can't remember to keep up the training with your dog to not need that prong choke collar, you shouldn't have the dog either!
What a sad story, but I'm glad she found her car and dog! Maybe she could carry a small recorder with her and she could leave herself messages when she parks her car so she can find it easily again.
I'm freaked out that with her medical condition she is still driving. Why??? What if she 'forgets' what a red light means?
she needs to give up her pet privileges - that poor dogÂ
@playadelcarman I agree. She needs to give up the dog. Is she going to forget to feed him or give him water? Is she going to leave him in the car again? Is she going to forget to buy dog food? Is she going to forget that she left the stove on and they both suffer and perish?
@playadelcarman I disagree. I feel bad for the dog, I can only imagin how frightened the dog was, but that dog is probably more help to that woman than you or I will ever know. I do think it would be a good idea for her to give up driving, for her own safety as well as others.
OH I wish I had a dog like Charlito! He must of been so scared! Dogs can see when we are going through our troubles they know.
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 @Cherylanne "...must HAVE..."    : )
I hope he didn't have to spend two full days with that horrible spike training collar on. I'm very glad she asked for help instead of being too embarrassed. Shows she must really love her dog... but please lose the collar. Golden Retrievers shouldn't need such an extreme training collar... just sayin'
@Deb Yes, get rid of the prong collar, if she cannot control the dog without it, she should consider training classes or not taking the dog out of the yard, with her condition, best idea is to leave the dog at home.
What an awful condition to have. That said, it does seem that Ms. Simmons should consider giving up her driving privileges.
 @medborgare She should also consider giving up her pet(s).  She clearly can't take care of them properly and may put them in danger again.
With all due respect for this handicap, whats this woman doing still driving?
@rec503 OMG that poor woman and dog. I hope she has someone to watch her closer now.
Seems like she might be a canddate for lojack.
poor dog